Yoga Teacher Designations

RYT® 200

Training Requirements:

✓ Completed a 200-hour teacher training with a RYS 200

Teaching hour Requirements:
- None 

Teaching time Requirements:
- None

Teachers can register as a RYT 200 if they have successfully completed a 200-hour yoga teacher training that is registered with Yoga Alliance. All training hours must come from the same school and multiple trainings cannot be combined to meet the 200-hour Requirement. Teaching hours are not required for this designation.

RYT® 500

Training Requirements: 

✓ Completed a 500-hour teacher training with a RYS 500, OR
✓ Completed a 200-hour teacher training with a RYS 200 AND an additional 300 hours of training with either the same RYS or a different RYS registered as a RYS 300

Teaching hour Requirements:
✓ Has at least 100 hours of teaching experience since completing training with a RYS 200 or 500

Teaching time Requirements:
- None

Teachers can register as a RYT 500 if they have successfully completed a 500-hour yoga teacher training that is registered with Yoga Alliance. The 500 hours of training can either come from one school or can be a combination of a 200-hour training plus 300 hours of advanced training from a different school. Advanced training is defined as training that requires participants to have completed a 200-hour training. Applicants must submit 100 teaching hours for this designation which must be completed after completing training with a RYS 200 or 500.  

E-RYT® 200

Training Requirements:

✓ Completed a 200-hour teacher training with a RYS 200

Teaching hour Requirements:
✓ Has at least 1,000 hours of teaching experience since completing training with a RYS 200

Teaching time Requirements:
✓ Has taught for at least 2 years since completing training with a RYS 200

Teachers can register as an E-RYT 200 if they have successfully completed a 200-hour yoga teacher training that is registered with Yoga Alliance and have taught a minimum of two years after completing training. All training hours must come from the same school and multiple trainings cannot be combined to meet the 200-hour Requirement. Applicants must submit 1,000 teaching hours for this designation which must be completed after completing training with a RYS 200. Once registered, an E-RYT 200 is able to provide continuing education classes and workshops to other teachers and can be a Lead Trainer of a 200-hour teacher training.  

E-RYT® 200, RYT® 500

Training Requirements:

✓ Completed a 500-hour teacher training with a RYS 500, OR
✓ Completed a 200-hour teacher training with a RYS 200 AND an additional 300-hours training with either the same RYS (if it is registered as a RYS 300) or a different RYS 300

Teaching hour Requirements:
✓ Has at least 1,000 hours of teaching experience since completing training with a RYS 200 or RYS 500

Teaching time Requirements:
✓ Has taught for at least 2 years since completing training with a RYS 200 or RYS 500

Teachers can register as an E-RYT 200, RYT 500 if they have successfully completed a 500-hour yoga teacher training that is registered with Yoga Alliance and have taught a minimum of two years since completing training with a RYS 200 or RYS 500. The 500 hours of training can either come from one school or can be a combination of a 200-hour training plus an additional 300-hour advanced teacher training from a different RYS. Applicants must submit 1,000 teaching hours for this designation which must be completed after completing training with a RYS 200. Once registered, an E-RYT 200, RYT 500 is able to provide continuing education classes and workshops to other teachers and can be a Lead Trainer of a 200-hour teacher training.

E-RYT® 500

Training Requirements:

✓ Completed a 500-hour teacher training with a RYS 500, OR
✓ Completed a 200-hour teacher training with a RYS 200 AND an additional 300-hour teacher training with either the same RYS (if it is registered as a RYS 300) or a different RYS 300

Teaching hour Requirements:
✓ Has at least 2,000 hours of teaching experience since completing training with a RYS 200 or 500. At least 500 of these hours must be taught after completing training with a RYS 300 or 500.

Teaching time Requirements:
✓ Has taught for at least 4 years since completing training with a RYS 200 or RYS 500

Teachers can register as an E-RYT 500 if they have successfully completed a 500-hour yoga teacher training that is registered with Yoga Alliance and have taught a minimum of four years since completing training with a 200-hour RYS. The 500 hours of training can either come from one school or can be a combination of a 200-hour training plus an additional 300-hour advanced teacher training from a different RYS. Applicants must submit 2,000 teaching hours for this designation; 1,500 of the teaching hours must have been taught after completing training with a RYS 200 or 500 and the remaining 500 teaching hours must have been taught after completing training with a RYS 300 or 500. Once registered, an E-RYT 500 is able to provide continuing education classes and workshops to other teachers and can be a Lead Trainer of a 200-hour, 300-hour or 500-hour teacher training. 

Specialty Designations

In addition to the standard designations above, some teachers may take specialty trainings with schools that permit them to register under the specialty of children’s or prenatal yoga. Yoga teachers that have also completed a standard training with a Registered Yoga School  and have at least the RYT 200 may apply to register with a specialty designation. This designation is given in addition to the standard designation; a teacher may not register a specialty designation without also completing a standard training (either before or after the specialty training). Yoga Alliance permits teachers with a registered specialty to use both designations as long as they remain a current member.
 

Registered Children's Yoga Teacher (RCYT®)

Training Requirements:

✓ Completed a 200-hour teacher training with a RYS 200
✓ Completed a 95-hour teacher training with a Registered Children’s Yoga School (RCYS)

Teaching hour Requirements:
✓ Has at least 30 hours of teaching experience in children’s yoga since completing training with a RCYS

Teaching time Requirements:
- None

Teachers can register as a RCYT if they have successfully completed both a 200-hour yoga teacher training and a 95-hour children's yoga training—in either order—that are registered with Yoga Alliance. Applicants must submit 30 teaching hours in children’s yoga which must be performed after completing a training with a RCYS (Registered Children’s Yoga School).

Teachers can no longer register as a RCYT via grandparenting.

Registered Prenatal Yoga Teacher (RPYT®)

Training Requirements:

✓ Completed a 200-hour teacher training with a RYS 200
✓ Completed a 85-hour teacher training with a Registered Prenatal Yoga School (RPYS)

Teaching hour Requirements:
✓ Has at least 30 hours of teaching experience in prenatal yoga since completing training with a RPYS

Teaching time Requirements:
- None

Teachers can register as a RPYT if they have successfully completed both a 200-hour yoga teacher training and an 85-hour prenatal yoga training—in either order—that are registered with Yoga Alliance. Applicants must submit 30 teaching hours in prenatal yoga which must be performed after completing a training with a RPYS (Registered Prenatal Yoga School). 

 
Teachers can no longer register as a RPYT via grandparenting.